Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, what steps she is taking to eradicate rhododendron ponticum in England; and if she will make it her policy to introduce a ban on the sale of that species in England.

Rhododendron ponticum is considered an invasive plant and, as such, is listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Therefore, it is an offence to plant or otherwise cause to grow this species in the wild. However, Rhododendron was first recorded in the wild over a hundred years ago and is so widespread that national eradication is not considered viable using current techniques.

The Countryside Stewardship scheme has a grant for farmers and land managers to fund Rhododendron control, reducing the negative effect it can have on a site.

There are no plans to introduce a ban on the sale of Rhododendron ponticum in England. It is already very widely spread, and the further spread is mainly caused by the seeds of long-established plants. A ban on sale is therefore not considered likely to substantially reduce the distribution of this species.